A Nashville Walgreens employee shot a seven-month-pregnant woman this week after suspecting her of stealing cosmetics from the pharmacy, police said. After an emergency C-section, she and her newborn are hospitalized.
Nashville police said in a statement that a Walgreens team leader shot 24-year-old Travonsha Ferguson in the store’s parking lot on Wednesday evening after he followed her out of the store after receiving information about the alleged shoplifting.
Nashville Worker Boyd Claims Self-Defense
Mitarius Boyd, 21, claims he fired his semi-automatic weapon in self-defense because he feared Ferguson and another woman she was with were armed, according to police.
Nashville Police say another employee told Boyd that two women were allegedly shoplifting cosmetics. According to police, he began recording the women on his cell phone as they placed items in a shopping cart and a large shoulder bag, and he later followed the women to their vehicle in the parking lot as they began to load the trunk with items.
Police claim that as Boyd walked around to the back of the car, one of the women produced a can of mace and sprayed it on him before he started shooting.
Boyd’s Previous Disorderly Conduct Charge
The second woman is said to have driven Ferguson to the hospital, where she received treatment for numerous gunshot wounds before disappearing, according to the police.
The victim was delivered via C-section as a result of the gunfire, and the baby was unharmed, as stated by police. The infant and Ferguson are both still hospitalized and in critical condition, according to the most recent police update on Thursday.
The Nashville district attorney will determine whether or not Boyd will be charged.
The company announced on Sunday that Boyd is no longer employed by Walgreens.
“The safety of our patients, customers, and team members is our highest priority, and we will not tolerate any form of violence in our stores,” Walgreens stated. We are taking this matter seriously and collaborating with local authorities.
Boyd was charged with disorderly conduct in October 2022 for refusing to leave a Best Buy location following a dispute over a PlayStation 5. According to court documents, employees informed Boyd that the PlayStation 5 was unavailable; however, he refused to leave. The charge was eventually dropped, according to the records.
Accusations of assault, vandalism, and trespassing against Ferguson have previously been made, according to court records.
Boyd is cooperating with the investigation, according to the Nashville police.
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